Loading mechanism for a non-automatic gun



Sept. 16, 1958 K. s. R. HULTGREN ETAL' ,8 ,9 8

LOADING MECHANISM FOR A NON-AUTOMATIC GUN Eiled Feb 14. 1956 2Sheets-Sheet l KARL JOHAN GEORG H M 3M -ATTORNEY5 Sept. 16, 1958 K. 3.R. HULTGREN r-rrAL' 2,

LOADING MECHANISM FOR A NON-AUTOMATIC GUN Filed Feb. 14, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS KARL STEN RUDOLF HULTGRE HAN GE KARI JOATTORNEY ORG MARTENs United States Patent 6 2,851,928 LOADING MECHANISMFflR A NON-AUTOMATIC GUN Karl Sten Rudolf Hultgren, B ofors, andKarYJohan Gorg Mfirtensson, Karlskoga, Sweden, ass'ignoi's to.Akti'egolaget Bofors, Bofors, Sweden, a corporationof'Swen t ApplicationFebruary. 14, 1956,- Serial No. 565;439- Claims priority, applicationSweden Februaryf14, 19551 3 Claims. (CI; 89-45) The-present inventionrelates to a loading mechanismfor-a gun,-and more particularly to aloadingmechanism for a non-automatic recoiling field gun.-

While loading trays are at present ingeneral'use with automatic guns andstationarily mountedheavy' caliber guns, they have not been heretoforeused withnon-automatic field guns. It is customary to load such guns bythe gun-crew ramming one round after the oth'er; The-gun crew whenramming the rounds mustbe careful'to -av'oid accidental damaging contactbetween the breech ring and a round to avoid damage to thebreech'ringior' the round As it evident, a ramming operation: whichrequires special attention on the part of the -gun crew is not fullydesirable under combat conditions-.

Accordingly, thep'rincipal objectof the'invention'is to provide a novelloading mechanism which permits rapidramm'ing of a non-automaticrecoiling gun without special carefulness on the part of the gun crewsAnother object of the invention is to provide a n'ovel and improvedloading mechanism for anon-automatic recoiling gunwhich greatlysimplifies and acceleratesdhe loading and ramming operations.

Still another object of the invention isto plrovidea novel loading trayassembly for a non-automatic recoiling gun.

A further object of the invention is to provide -a:novel loading trayassembly which precludes an accidental damaging contact between a roundand the breech-ring for all practical purposes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel loadingtray assembly in which the tray is locked either in the ramming positionor intheloading position, but is automatically unlocked and moved fromone position into the other in accordance with theoperationalcycle ofthe gun operations.

Other and further features, objects andadvantagesof the invention willbe pointed out hereinafter and set equipped with aloadingmechanismaccordingto the invention, the tray being shown in itsloadingposition.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showingthe tray in its rammingposition, and

Figs. 3 to are sectional detail views of the breech r-ing and the breechblock-of the gun-in three'difierent operational positions. g A

Referring now to the figures indetail, these figures show' a gun barrellending in a breech ringh2. The.

barrel and the breech ring are slidably supported in a cradle'3. Thecradle mounts two side brackets 4 and 5 including bores for receivingthe trunnions (not shown) for elevating and depressing the gun barreland the cradle. A channeled link 6 is pivoted on one endto 2,851,928Patented Sept. 16, 1958 trunnion bracket'4 pivotal about'a pivot 7LTheotherend of link 6 is pivoted toa loadi-ng tray 9; pivotal abouta==pivot 8'. An arm 10 "is nested in ch'anneled link- 6 pivotal about atransverse pivot 11; The free enclof arm 10' isabifurcated and coactswith aspring loaded pin 12 axially. displaceable paralleltopivot'8; Pin12 can be fitted in a suita'ble hol'e inna loadingtray 9 after swingingout arm 10: Whenpin 12a inserted m its holeglink 6 is rigidly secured tothe loadingtray. Arr'n lfl 'is n'ormally held by meansof -a locking pin13 in a position suclr that pin'12 :cannot beinserted in'itshole intheiloading tray. A downward movement of link 6 relative to cradle 3 islimited by"an abutment lu'g 14 which is seated on a suitable locking bara'nd cari -be caused to bear against" the trunnion bracketW: One end ofa second link 17 islpivotal. about a pin 16*which 1's mountedJonFabracket15secured tocra'clle'3. The other end of link-17 is: pivotalabout a"pivot 18 eXtendin'g from: loadingtray 9.

As-canv best be seen in Fig. 1, links6 and 17, loading tray 9 and thedistance.between pivotsfi'and 16' define atparallelogram,the-components6, 17" and 9 of'which' are relatively movable.The-linkagesystem formed by links? 6- and 17 and the componentsassociated therewith are soarranged that the loaidn'g tray is compelledtomove parallelto'the axisof thebarrel and perpendicul'a'rly thereto; Asa result, the loading tray will always oceupy a positiohparallel-to'theaxisof the barrel or more specifically, the bor'e o-f the-ba'rr'eland the loadin'g cha'rnber therein.

The: end of link 17 adjacent to 'bracket 4brackets' 4 i and 5 do notparticipate 'in'th'erecoiling movement of the barrel and the associatedparts-dsbifurcated" to form two "arms- 19 and l 20* each of which islinked by' a pin 22' which is welded to a-tubeZT of arestoring device.-This tube 21 is1closed at' it'supper end.. The lower-end: of the"tube isopenl and receives a plunger 23 pivotal= on a pin 24 extending fromamember 25 joined to' cradle 3. The upper end of plunger 23,. that is;the

end extending into tube 21; forms a head 26 against which abuts oneendof a coil .spring' 27 encompassing The other end of spring 27 abutsthe.- plunger 1 shaft. against a collar forrn'ed at the open-end of tube21. Thus,

the spring 27 is compressed as the tray is lowered to the positionshown'in Fig. Z-andassists in' raising the tray to the position shown inFig. 1 after the round has been loaded into the' breech block in themanner'hereinafter described.

Bracket 15'has' a hole in which is fitted a spring loaded pin" 28coa'cting with one. end of a catch 29 so thatitibiases upwardly said endof the catch. The catch is "pivotal about a pin 30 fitted in a bearingmember 31 securedto' trunnion bracket'4. Pin 30 extends through bracket4 and"the end of thepin protruding from the bracket onthe side of breechring 2' seats ant arm 32 ending in a lug 33. This'lug coactswith adog 34on: breech ring 2: Catch 29 further coacts with. a nose 35'extendingfrom link 17.

A second catch means 38 is pivotal about a'pivot 36 mounted on a bracket37 fastened to the breech ring; Catch 38has a hookon'one end and the"other endofthe catch is extended to coact with a second releasemean'sin.

itsiprotruding inner end engagesa' guide groove 41in a" breech block 42which is shown as being movable transversely ofthe' axis of: barrel 1.The breech block is opened by'the recoil movement of the gun forramming:

of around when the tray is in-its lower position and is 3 moved byspringaction to close the loading .chamber of the gun when the tray isin its upper position.

When the breech block is in the position of Fig. 3 pin 39 is biased byspring 40 into the position in which catch 38 occupies its outwardlytilted position. The pin 39 remains in this position as long as it moveswithin the straight portion of the groove. However, when the breechblock moves into the position of Fig. 5, either from its open positionor its closed position, the inner protruding endv of pin 39 engages aridge or rib 43 on the breech block which axially displaces catch 38into a position in which the catch is withdrawn toward the Wall of thebreech ring; When the breech block reaches the position of-Fig. 4 inwhich ridge 43 has passed pin 39, catch 38 is returned into the positionof Figs. 3 or 4 by the action of spring 40. In other words, catch 38remains stationarily in the position of Figs. 3 and 4 unless itsoperating pin' 39 is in engagement with ridge 43. As can be seen inFigs. 4 and 5 the catch is positively guided by pin 39.

Catch 38 coacts with a locking member 44 secured to link 17 andextending transversely on both sides thereof. The upper part of member44 has a bevelled edge which is engageable by the hook of catch 38 andthe lower protruding part of member 44 has a shape such that it can abutagainst the top side of the hook of catch 38as will be more fullyexplained hereinafter.

. Link 17 has secured thereto a second locking member 45 which extendstransversely of link 17 generally parallel with catch member 44. Member45 coacts with abar 46 which is axially displaceable in a transversehole formed in the respective wall of breech ring 2. The inner end ofbar 46 should be visualized as coacting with the conventional firingmechanism of the gun. Member 45 overlies bar 46 in all positions of link17 except the position shown in Fig. 1. As a result, bar 46 is pressedback into the breech ring. The firing mechanism should be visualized asbeing locked in the pressed-in positionof bar 46 by means suitable andwell known for the purpose. Accordingly, bar 46 constitutes a controlmember for the firing mechanism. A round or shell 47 is shown in Fig. ,2as being placed upon loading tray 9. v v

To simplify the illustration one linkage system and the associatedcatchmeans are shown in the figures. vHowever, .it should be understoodthat the same. arrangement may be provided on the other side of theloading tray and the breech ring also toprovide support of theloadingtray. on both sides thereof.

The operation of the loading mechanism as hereinbefore described, is asfollows:

' Let it be assumed that the loading mechanism is in the position ofFig. 1 and that a round has beenrammed home. The breech block is shownclosed as itis also shown in Fig. 3, but the round has not been fired asyet. The loading tray is shown in its raised or loading position. Then,catch 38 is in its outwardly tilted position (see Fig. 3) so that thelower part of catch member 44 rests upon the top of catch 38 therebyblocking a downward movement of the loading tray. Dog 34 pressed uponlug 33 of catch 29 whereby the catch is disengaged from nose 35 on link17. Control bar 46 of the firing mechanism is released as catch member45 does not overlie the protruding end of the bar. Consequently, thefiring mechanism is released and the gun is ready to fire.

Before the gun is fired a round 47 is placed upon'the loading tray. Ifthe gun is now fired, thebarrel and with it the breech ring will recoilrearwardly relative to trunnion brackets 4 and 5. As a result, dog 34loses contact with lug 33 and the lower part of member 44 becomesdisengaged from catch 38. The spring loaded pin 28 is now free to turncatch 29 upwardly whereby the catch engages nose 35 thereby retainingthe loading tray in the raised position of Fig. l.

When the barrel with the breech ring has recuperated after thecompletion of the recoil movement, the breech block 42 is opened. Duringthe movement of the breech .block from its closed position into its openposition catch:

' defining the four corners of a parallelogram for displac- 38 istemporarily tilted inwardly into the position of Fig. 5 due to theengagement of ridge 43 with pin 39. As a result, the loading tray 9, onwhich has been placed a new round 47, will swing downwardly by itsweight without changing its position parallel to the axis of the'bore ofthe barrel. The downward movement of the tray is stopped by stop 14 aspreviously described. The lower end position of the tray is such thatthe center axis of the round{ on the tray is substantially in alignmentwith the axis of the bore. As is apparent, the downward movement of thetray is possible because catch 29 has lost contact with nose 35. due tothe reengagement of dog 34 with lug 33. Furthermore, the hook of catch38 engages the bevelled: edge of catch member 44 thereby retaining theloading tray in its lower or ramming position as isshown in Fig. 2. Thenew round can now be rammed, either by means, of a rammer or by hand.Due to the correct location of the round in relation to the 'loadingchamber and th breech ring, the gun crew is relieved of the necessity ofbeing specially careful to avoid an accidental damaging contact betweenthe round and the breech ring. After the round has been rammed, thebreech block is closed. During the closing movement, catch38 is againtemporarily tilted inwardly by the engagement of pin 39" withridge 43.As a result, catch 38 is disengaged-fro locking member 44. Upon releaseof member 44 the spring 27 of the restoring device pivots the loadingtray into its upper or loading position of Fig. 1. In the mean-:- time,catch 38 has returned into the position of Figs. 3 or, 4 and engageslocking member 44 thereby preventing movement of the loading tray intoits lower or ramming position. A newround may now be placed upon theload ing tray and the previously described cycle of operations berepeated. I; While theinvention has been described in detail withrespect .to a certain now preferred example and embodr ment ofv theinvention it will be understood by those skilled in the art afterunderstanding the invention, that. various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes andmodificationsin the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured y Letters Patent is:

We claim: 1. A loading mechanism for a non-automatic recoiling gunhaving a recoiling part that includes a loading chamher, said mechanismcomprising a loading tray, a linkage system including two links eachpivoted on one end to said-tray and on the other end to a non-recoilingpart of the gun, the pivot points of said links approximately ing saidloading tray with the longitudinal axis thereof lying within a planecontaining the longitudinal axis or said loading chamber whereby thetray is movable between a ramming position at the same level and infront of the loading chamber of the gun and a loadingposition spacedabove said level, yieldable means biasing said, links into a raisedposition in which said tray is in said loading position, releasablecatch means coacting with said links for locking said tray in theloading position, and release means on a recoiling part of the gun forreleasing said catch means by a recoil movement of the gun whereby thetray is movable into its ramming position by the weight of a roundplaced thereupon;

2. A loading mechanism for a non-automatic recoiling gun having arecoiling part that includes a loading chainber, said mechanismcomprising a loading tray, a linkage system including two links eachpivoted on one end to said tray and on the other end to a non-recoilingpart of the gun, the pivot points of said links approximately definingthe four corners of a parallelogram for displace ing said loading traywith the longitudinal axis thereof lying'within a plane containing thelongitudinal axis of) said loading chamber between a ramming position atthe same level and in front of the loading chamber of the gun and aloading position spaced above said level, yieldable means biasing saidlinks into a raised position in which said tray is in said loadingposition, releasable catch means coacting with said links for lockingsaid tray to the loading position, and release means on a recoiling partof the gun for releasing said catch means by a recoil movement of thegun whereby the tray is movable into its ramming position by the weightof a round placed thereupon, said catch means including a movable catchmember and spring means biasing said catch member toward engagement withone of said links, and said release means including a projecting elementon the recoiling part of the gun engageable with said catch member formoving the latter out of engagement in response to the recoil movementof the gun thereby releasing said tray for movement toward the rammingposition.

3. A loading mechanism for a non-automatic recoiling gun having arecoiling part that includes a loading chamber, said mechanismcomprising a loading tray, a linkage system including two links eachpivoted on one end to said tray and on the other end to a non-recoilingpart of the gun, the pivot points of said links approximately definingthe four corners of a parallelogram for displacing said loading traywith the longitudinal axis thereof lying within a plane containing thelongitudinal axis of said loading chamber between a ramming position atthe same level and in front of the loading chamber of the gun and aloading position spaced above said level, yieldable means biasing saidlinks into a raised position in which said tray is in said loadingposition, releasable catch means coacting with said links for lockingsaid tray in the loading position, release means on a recoiling part ofthe gun for releasing said catch means by a recoil movement of the gunwhereby the tray is movable into its ramming position by the weight of around placed thereupon, said recoiling part including a breech ring anda breech block movable within said breech ring between open and closedpositions, second releasable catch means coacting with one of said linksin either position of said tray for locking said tray in eitherposition, and second release means coacting with said second catchmeans, said second release means being controlled for release of saidsecond catch means by each movement of the breech block between itsclosed position and its open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,040,210 Kastner N Oct. 1, 1912 2,649,840 Davidson Aug. 25, 1953FOREIGN PATENTS 333,661 Germany Mar. 2, 1921 107,734 Sweden June 22,1943

